Paulo "Bocao" Ilias
BJJ Black Belt & Professional BJJ Competitor
Like every other athlete on the mats, I had many past injuries and surgeries accumulated from not being so kind to my body. I came to see Morena right after having injured my collar bone during training and it was causing weakness on my whole shoulder and arm. I felt better after our very first session. She was able to get my relief and better understanding of what happened.
I followed her exercise prescription and with a few days I began training again with knowledge on how to keep myself safer in the process. I began seeing her regularly because i knew would be able to get my body to be pain free and to teach me awareness of how to move safely, even if I'm training my hardest. Working with her, I learned to the power of recovery and having a proper stretching routines, by her diagnosis my back pain was pure lack of flexibility. All that combines with breath work to take my body to healing versus the, "fight, or flight", we constantly experience as competitors.
What i learned working with Morena will serve me for a lifetime and I continue to use her tips and tricks to keep my body at its best and injury free, of know how to properly take care of it, if i am injured.
Josemar Castillo
Martial Artist - Capoeira Gerais
My initial intention when I decided to work with Morena was to have an active pregnancy with someone that could guide me to do it safely and was also familiar with the type of movement/disciplines I enjoyed (capoeira, yoga, and dance). I've always admired Morena's strength and positive mindset; the fact that she had recently gone thru a pregnancy herself and was a physiotrainer made me very excited to have the opportunity to work with her faint my prenatal phase.
I began working with Morena at the onset of the my second trimester and we worked together until the day before I gave birth to my son. We met twice a week and I looked forward to it every single times. Every session was curated to my needs as my body (and mind) changed thru pregnancy and it always started with her carefully assessing my current state.
The impact that our sessions had on my-our (baby and I) well-being was evident from very early on because she taught me was applicable moment to moment outside of our sessions. Starting from gaining a level of body awareness I had never had in the part to truly learning how to breathe properly and use it to my advantage. On the first session I remember thinking "when are we going to start the workout?" It wasn't long until I realized we were building the fundamentals that so any (including my old self) ignore to make our bodies move properly and sustainably for life.
The improvements I was making while pregnant and with a changing body were both unexpected and empowering. My fitness was improving while growing a human being and it was all possible because of the holistic approach Morena offered me. We worked on trigger points, alignment, stretching, breathing, mindset, all along movement and capoeira flows. I found myself accessing what I was learning with Morena all throughout my the day from how I went up and down the stairs to how I prepared my body and mind for my daily movement sessions. I remained relatively pain free throughout my entire pre natal phase and I was able to address discomforts early on with her guidance and accessibility.
While working together, Morena also introduced me to hypnobirthing which was another impactful gift to my labor and delivery journey. Learning about it along with the work we did session after session led me to a completely unmedicated birth experience that I truly wanted but wasn't expecting based on my first pregnancy.
The experience was a testimony of how I learned to integrate my body and mind to work together even thru labor contractions and I give huge credit to the support and wisdom I received from Morena. The level of awareness I gained was also crucial for my postpartum recovery. Incontinence was never an issue this time around, even through I experienced it for well over 2 years after the birth of my first son. My healthcare providers were often curious of what I was doing during pregnancy and after my baby was born they noticed my energy, my knowledge about regaining control of my muscles and my overall attitude at every stage of the journey.
Morena truly changed how I approach my fitness and well being as my focus has very well expanded from the aesthetic and functional aspects to the vitality I want to feel for years to come. She not only allowed me the space to bring my whole self to our sessions but taught me to hold that space for myself with love and without judgement. I will forever be grateful for the experience to work with such a wise, empowering and strong woman and hope nothing mor Ethan other women to have the chance to benefit from her amazing work.
Julia Lucidi
Martial Artist
Morena helped me understand movement patterns that would improve my performance in martial arts, she was able to break down my needs into simple exercises that had an immediate result on my ability and power. She is incredibly gifted at identifying mobility patterns at a blink of an eye, while fixing the with practical tailor made services - it's truly remarkable. Morena awakened me to the power of breath work, a totally untapped gold mine. It's incredible how much more power and control I was able to bring into my training. I used to struggle with balance, not knowing what the problem was, I now have the tools and awareness that have taken my movements to the next level.
